Do I need permission to cut down my tree?

Updated September 2026 · 5 minute read

Sometimes. It depends on whether the tree is protected, and that's worth checking before anyone picks up a saw.

Tree Preservation Orders

A TPO is an order made by the council protecting a specific tree, group of trees or woodland. If your tree has one, you need written consent before pruning or removing it, and doing the work without consent is a criminal offence carrying a substantial fine.

TPOs are not rare, and they’re not always obvious. A tree can carry one without anything about it looking special, usually because it was protected years ago when a development went in nearby.

Conservation areas

Trees in a conservation area are protected even without a TPO. You have to give the council six weeks’ notice of any work, which gives them the chance to put a TPO on the tree if they think it deserves one. Parts of Cheddar, Axbridge and Wells all have conservation areas, so this catches more gardens locally than people expect.

The Mendip Hills National Landscape

Being in the National Landscape doesn’t itself protect an individual tree, but it does mean the council has taken a closer interest in tree cover locally, and it can affect what they’ll agree to. It’s worth mentioning when you ring them.

How to check

Ring the tree officer at the council and give them your address. They’ll tell you whether there’s a TPO on the tree and whether you’re in a conservation area. It’s free and usually quick. Many councils also publish a map of protected trees online.

Applying for consent

Applications go through the council’s planning portal. You describe the tree, the work you want done and why. A decision usually takes around eight weeks. A clear reason, such as a defect, damage to the property, or a genuine safety concern, helps considerably. “It blocks the light” on its own often doesn’t.

Dead and dangerous trees

There’s an exemption for trees that are dead or present an immediate risk, but you’re expected to notify the council, and in an emergency to be able to show why the work couldn’t wait. Take photographs before you do anything. That evidence is what protects you afterwards.

Hedges and boundaries

You can cut branches that overhang your boundary back to the line, but the cuttings belong to your neighbour, and TPO and conservation area rules still apply to an overhanging branch. High hedge complaints are a separate council process again.

What I do

I check for TPOs and conservation areas as part of quoting, and I won’t cut a protected tree without seeing the consent. I don’t do written tree reports or surveys, so if the council asks for one you’ll need a consultant. I’ll say so rather than string you along.